Peter Murtagh

Peter Murtagh is an Irish-born journalist and author who spent almost 40 years in newspapers. He held several editorial positions over nearly four decades, including chief editor, foreign editor, and managing editor. Murtagh is also recognized for his travel memoir Buen Camino!, co-authored with his daughter Natasha, which became a bestseller.

Peter Murtagh graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a Bachelor's degree in English, Geography, and Classical Civilizations in 1977. Murtagh spent nearly four decades working for prestigious newspapers, including The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Sunday Times, and The Guardian, where he held key editorial positions such as chief editor, foreign editor, and news editor. He retired formally in 2019.

Murtagh's journalism career earned him significant accolades, including the Award for Outstanding Journalism in Ireland (1983), Reporter of the Year in the UK Press Awards (1986), and the News Brands Ireland Award for Investigative Journalism (2016).

He is the co-author of several notable books. In collaboration with Joe Joyce, he wrote The Boss — Charles J Haughey in Government (1983) and Blind Justice (1984). His solo work, The Rape of Greece — the king, the colonels and the resistance (1994), examines Greece's political turmoil. Murtagh also co-authored Buen Camino! — a father-daughter journey from Croagh Patrick to Santiago de Compostela (2011) with his daughter Natasha, a travel memoir that became a bestseller.

In 2020, Murtagh embarked on an adventurous motorcycle journey from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, detailed in his latest book, From Tip to Top (2024). The trip, initially interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed in 2022. Murtagh recounts the challenges and joys of traversing the Americas and exploring diverse landscapes and cultures.

He shares, "I'm doing this on my own so that I concentrate on where I am and the people that I meet rather than interacting with a biking buddy."

Now in his 70th year, Murtagh continues to embrace new adventures.

Photo credit: tip2top.ie